When the peaches are in season in Arkansas . . .
The last time I made peach jam was a couple of years ago, I think just after we moved from Little Rock to our current "retirement" home:) This year, the peaches didn't do well because of all of a late freeze and all the rains. But, I'm sharing because some of you may have nice peaches in your area and can make Peach Jam.
Our family has always loved peaches, and every year Mama and I freeze them in two cup portions to make cobbler or to just eat in the winter when we can't get fresh ones. And, every year I try to make peach jam. To me, homemade is always better than what you buy in the store, but that's my opinion:) This batch was made from a Peach Jam recipe I found in a Kindle book by … [Read more...]

Strawberry Season is almost over:(
I called Cabot Patch Monday, and the lady said this would be the last week for strawberries. I knew that if I wanted to make any jam, I was going to have to do it today or Friday, but Friday is Mama's Day.
When I mentioned to Candace that I thought I would be making Strawberry jam, she said that she likes Gran's Strawberry Freezer Jam the best. So, today I got Gran's recipe, bought the strawberries and other ingredients, and spent my afternoon having a blast making jam!
Gran and her Strawberry Freezer Jam . . .
Candace and Gran. Gran is her daddy's mother.
Candace said Gran always made her Strawberry Freezer Jam every year. One unusual thing that she did was that she would chop the strawberries … [Read more...]

Mama's Strawberry Fig Preserves . ..
One of my favorite things to eat on toast or biscuits is Mama's Strawberry Fig Preserves. This recipe was given to Mama by Aunt Clarice, Daddy's oldest sister, many years ago, and it always takes me back to my childhood. The name of the preserves is a bit deceptive because there are no strawberries in it! It is actually made with strawberry gelatin (Jell-O) and mashed figs! But, guess what . . . the figs taste like strawberries! It is surprisingly delicious!
Making Mama's Strawberry Fig Preserves . . .
When I decided to learn how to can foods a few years ago, I went to Mama's house so she could teach me how to make her Strawberry Fig Preserves. We gathered figs from her trees and mixed them with … [Read more...]

What to do with homemade strawberry preserves . . .
I had some homemade strawberry preserves that I needed to use because I didn't can or freeze it. Not knowing what I could make with it, I looked for a recipe and found this one for Strawberry Oatmeal Bars by the Pioneer Woman. Her pictures looked so delicious, I decided to make them myself.
The Strawberry Oatmeal Bars Recipe . . .
The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Strawberry Oatmeal Bars is super simple, using ingredients that you probably always have on hand: flour, baking powder, salt, butter, oatmeal and brown sugar. Simple! The only preparation will probably be having the amount of strawberry preserves on hand!
I adapted her recipe to use my homemade strawberry preserves by using 1 … [Read more...]

Maribeth Alexander,

I love to collect recipes, cook and entertain. I also love music! I have had a desire for some time to have a blog where I could bring my two passions--food and music--together. "Food and Forte" is the realization of that desire. Read More…

Favorite Desserts from Our Family

Favorite Desserts from Our Family includes is a 201 page collection of favorite cookies, pies and cakes from my mother (age 93) down to my youngest grandchildren. All recipes are “tried and true”, are still made and loved even today, and will surely please your loved ones as well.

Winter Wonderland of Sweets

O, the weather outside might be frightful, but inside your home, it can be delightful with these tasty wintery treats! What’s better than wrapping up in a nice warm blanket with a hot cup of coffee or cocoa, and sampling one or more of these yummy desserts? I think that is the perfect way to spend a winter afternoon when you don’t want to go out.

Thanksgiving Treasures

The Emergency Chef

This is a great resource to help you in preparing for emergencies by having your pantry stocked with usable foods, an alternate cooking station, and easy recipes to make to feed your family at any time, but especially in inconvenient times.

Christmas Treasures

Celebrate the Real Meaning of Christmas with Family Traditions, Recipes, Songs, Books, Movies, and Activities!

Frugal Feast: 31 Lower Cost and Healthier Chicken Entrees

The "Frugal Feasts: 31 Lower Cost and Healthier Chicken Entrees" cookbook contains recipes for chicken dishes that are less expensive to make and serve your family and friends. Plus, serving suggestions and tips on how to make the recipe healthier by substituting some of the ingredients.

Sweets for Sweetie

Valentine’s Day has long been a day for expressing love—love for one’s special someone. These expressions of love are often shown through greeting cards with messages of love, bouquets of flowers (especially red roses), and heart-shaped boxes of his or her favorite assorted chocolate candies. All of these say “I love you!” to the one who is the recipient of these gifts of the heart.

Love Themes

"Love Themes" is a collection of songs that portray ten emotions associated with love. Six songs are piano only, four are orchestrated. Some of the titles include: "Forgiveness", "Compassion", "Kiss", "Embrace", and more.